""Egg sizes"" include jumbo, extra large, large, medium and small. Correct size can be important in recipes with exacting measurement requirements, like cakes. Differences in size, shell and yolk color have no effect on quality.

""Egg grading"" takes into account the quality and appearance of the egg. Nutritional content is the same with all grades. Grade AA is the best from an appearance standpoint, particularly for poached, fried and deviled eggs, because the yolk is round and evenly centered and the white is thick and firm. Grade A is another excellent choice, although the white may be a little thinner and the yolk may be off center. Grade B has a flatter yolk, but is excellent for baking. Grade C, acceptable only for baking purposes, is seldom available in markets.

""How To Hard boil eggs without cracking them"" Use fresh eggs, preferably organic or grain fed, as they peel more easily once cooked. They also have better texture and flavor. Handle like eggs. Or nitroglycerin. Bring eggs to room temperature before cooking. This helps prevent cracking due to the sudden shock of temperature change and ensures a properly cooked egg. If you do use eggs right out of the refrigerator, add a minute or two to the cooking time. Simmer eggs. A roiling boil is too violent. Call them "hard cooked" instead of "hard boiled" and you'll remember this hint. Don't crowd the pan. The eggs will knock each other and crack. In a saucepan, bring enough water to cover the eggs to a boil. With a slotted spoon, lower the eggs into the water. Quickly, bring the water back to a boil. Lower the temperature to medium heat and simmer exactly 10 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of cold tap water. The cold water will stop further cooking and create a gap between shell and egg for easier peeling.

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Hard Boiled Eggs are easy to peel if you let them sit in the pan with the lid on after boiling for about 5 minutes. Steam will build up under the shells and they will be a snap to peel.

Equivalencies-Chicken Two whole chicken breasts (1 1/2 pounds with skin and bone) or 3/4 pound chicken breast (boned, skinned) yield about 2 cups. No cooked chicken on hand? Substitute three 5-ounce cans of boned chicken for 2 cups of cubed cooked chicken. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ to shorten cooking time Speed up the time it takes to cook thick boneless skinless chicken breasts by placing the breast between sheets of waxed paper and gently flattening them with a meat mallet. They'll cook faster and more evenly.

""Removing Fat Or Oils"" If you wish to omit fat or oils from your cooking, you must begin the cooking process with a very hot skillet. (If the skillet is hot, this will prevent the food from sticking.) If your recipe calls for seasonings, add these after the cooking process has begun. This is an excellent way to prepare a reduced-calorie dish.

After grinding nuts, dried fruits, or almost anything in a food grinder add 1 to 4 saltines and grind them. They will push the last of the goodies thru the grinder and will not change the flavor of the finished product.

tips for making tender,  juicy steaks: Most of the tender steak cuts come from the rib, the loin (short loin), and the sirloin. Familiar cuts include rib eye, Delmonico, strip (also called NY strip), T-bone, porterhouse, tenderloin, filet mignon, and sirloin steaks. The less tender beef cuts are usually from the chuck, the brisket, the short plate, the flank, and the round. These are less expensive and should be slow-cooked or marinated so that they'll be tender enough to practically melt in your mouth, just like the cuts that are naturally tender. The blade and bottom round steaks are not very tender when cooked as steaks but can be made tender when cooked in a little liquid, braising them. Familiar cuts include flank, cubed, top round, round, and bottom round steaks. The most tender and juiciest steaks should be cut at least one inch thick. Steaks that have a nice marbling running through them will be more tender and flavorful than very lean steaks. It's the marbling that makes them juicy. Steaks should always be cooked on a high heat, searing the outsides to keep in their natural juices. To prevent a steak from becoming tough and dry, don't overcook it. There's a very fine line between well-done and dry, so if you prefer your steak well-done, watch it carefully! Of course, if you have any questions about meat cuts, go ahead and ask the butcher.Ring that bell!!!!

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""Cooking Cabbage"" doesn't have to make your kitchen smelly. Put half a lemon in the cooking water, and avoid overcooking the cabbage.

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To help avoid the mess from whipping cream. Use a piece of waxed paper to make whipping cream a neater task. Cut two holes in the waxed paper and pass the stems of the beaters through before attaching them to the mixer. Whip as you normally would.

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""Bakng Pototoes""Insert a nail into a potato to shorten cooing time by 15 minutes.

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Brewing a single cup of coffee.1.Brew an individual cup of coffee easily by putting a teaspoon of drip coffee into a 2-1/2-inch strainer. 2. Place the strainer over a cup and pour boiling water over the grounds until the cup is full. 3. Let steep to desired strength.

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Brewing clear coffee.Perfect coffee begins with cold water.For clear coffee,put egg shells in after percolating.

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Brewing tastier coffee.Add a pinch of salt to the brewing basket, to minimize acid taste while brewing coffee.

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Broil bananas halves after sprinkling with cinnamon.

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""Beating Egg Whites"" Egg whites yield the most volume when they are allowed to reach room temperature before beating. Take the egg out of the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before using.

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Choosing Mushrooms.Many mushroom varieties are interchangeable. Reduce cooking costs and intrigue palates by combining white mushrooms with specialty varieties.

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""Broiling Meat Safely""A slice of bread placed under a broiler rack,when broiling meat will absorb the fat,and help reduce the chance of a kitchen fire.

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""When choosing a fresh live lobster""There should always be movement in the legs.

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When choosing oranges.Select heavy, firm oranges with smooth skin, avoiding those which are soft or bruised. Heavy oranges usually have a high juice content.

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Cleaning corn.Dampen a paper towel or cloth and brush downward on the corn cob.Every strand of corn silk should come right off.

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Cleaning cukecumbers before pickling.Clean them with a ball of nylon net before making pickles.

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To clean the inside of your microwave, place a bowl of water in it and heat the water until it boils. The steam will soften any dried-on splatters and make them easier to wipe away.

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To clean vases & bottles with narrow necks.Drop in some rice along with warm soapy water.Shake well, rinse & drip dry.Sparkling clean.

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Keeping tea kettles free of hard water & mineral build-up.Simply pour in 2 cups of vinegar and bring to a boil.Simmer about 10 minutes.Then rinse throughly.

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To remove stuck-on food from pans, cover food remains with hot water and place on burner. 2. Bring to a low boil and stir with a wooden spoon. 3. Any remaining food can be easily removed with a hot soapy dishcloth.

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Cleaning the pan after scalding milk.Rinse the pan in cold water before scalding the milk and it will be much easier to clean.

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Use you favorite cookie cutters to make distinctive sandwich shapes.

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When cooking dried beans, add salt after cooking. The cooking process is slowed when salt is added before cooking begins.

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When draining fat:Pour cooked ground beef, chicken or turkey into a colander. This will quickly drain off all the unwanted fat.

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Add strawberries and blueberries to a scoop of low fat or fat-free cottage cheese for a light, healthy snack.

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1.To prevent the strong flavors and oils of certain foods from penetrating a wooden cutting board, use one side for herbs and vegetables. 2. Reserve the other for fruits and other foods which might be affected by strong odors. 3. Simply mark the end of your cutting board with an indelible marker to remember which side is which.

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I have found that pickles help with sweet cravings. When you get the cravings for some chocolate. Just grab a dill pickle..It has worked for me so far!! haha

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Ripe bananas freeze very well. Peel them and then wrap in plastic wrap and store in plastic freezer bags.

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If you are using canned shrimp, soak the can in ice water for at least one hour before opening. This will enhance the flavor of the shrimp.

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It was very nice of BoB to send some Coca-Cola Tips!!! Thank you!!! Uses for Coca-Cola   To clean a toilet bowl:   Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl. Let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then brush and flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.   To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:   Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.   To clean corrosion from car battery terminals:   Pour a can of carbonated Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.   To loosen a rusted bolt:   Applying a cloth soaked in a carbonated soda to the rusted bolt for several minutes.   To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.   To remove grease from clothes:   Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy work clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular wash cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.  It will also clean road haze from your windshield.       AND WE DRINK THIS STUFF!! LOL

More Coke Stuff!!! **H20 verses Coke** Thanks Hattie for sending this... Water or Coke?  - Amazing Stuff! We all know that water is important but I've never seen it written down like this before.   75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.  (Likely applies to half world population.)   In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.  Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.   One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.  Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.   Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.  A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.   Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, plus one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.   Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?   ==============================================   COKE: No wonder Coke tastes soooo good:   1.  In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.   2.  You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.   3.  To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and.......Let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean.  The acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.   4.  To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.  & nbsp; 5.  To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.   6.  To loosen a rusted bolt: apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.   7.  To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.  Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, Remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.   8.  To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, And run through a regular cycle.  The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.  It will also clean road haze from your windshield.   FYI: The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.  Its pH level is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days!   To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous Material place cards reserved for Highly Corrosive materials.   The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!   Now the question is, would you like a glass of water or a Coke?